Suspension device for safety headgear



, Aprilllfi, 1946. f A. J. RUGGIERO 2,398,561

SUSPENSION DEVICE FOR SAFETY HEADGEAR 0 Filed Sept. 7, 1943 lNVENT OR Alfred J. Rug hero Hi5 ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 16, 1946 SUSPENSIONDEVICE on SAFETY HEADGEAR Alfred J. Ru giero, San Francisco, Calif., assignor to E. D. Bullard Company,

San Francisco, Cali.

a corporation of- California Application September 7, 1943, Serial No. 501,456

7 Qlaims.

My invention relates to safety headgear, and particularly to devices for fitting and supporting such headgear upon the head of a wearer.

It is among the objects of my invention to provide improved means for fitting safety headgear to the head of a wearer.

Another object is to provide a suspension device for safety headgear which will afford a relatively wide degree of adjustment as to head size, and a support yieldable laterally in any direction for absorbing impact with a minimum of shock to the wearer.

Another object is to provide. suspension straps and sweat band embodying improved features of construction and arrangement.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the followingdesc ription of my invention. It is to be understood that I do not limit myself to this disclosure of species of my invention, as I may adopt variant embodiments thereof within the scope of the claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevationof a safety headgear equipped With the suspension device of my invention, portions being shown broken away to more clearly illustrate the structure.

Figure 2 is a fragmental sectional view taken upon the line 2-2 of Figure 1 in the direction indicated, the figure being drawn upon a larger scale.

Figure 3 is a, fragmental elevational view of a portion 'of a sweat band illustrating features .of my invention.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken upon the line 4-4 of Figure 3 in the direction indicated, the thickness and spacing of adjacent layers being exaggerated.

In terms of broad inclusion, the suspension device of my inventioncomprises a sweatband 4 adjusted to the head ofa wearer, and secured to the headgear byjheadstraps for supporting the headgear upon the wearers head. The sweat band is connected to the head straps for sliding movement transversely and longitudinally thereof to facilitate adjustment as to head size, and for absorbing the impact of blows received upon the headgear. In its preferred embodiment the sweat band is formed of a strip of material folded lengthwise to provide mounting and head enqk es 6 a d cemen ed r otherw seg ed to each oth r d r id d u wardly p h t isid o t h ad en ag n P rtio to ro i e a ounting p tion de i ed iueen r ral by he numeral. 8-

The ends oi h folded t p ar aiiu' ab v, ecu d t gether to form ban of de d. h d size. This is preferably accomplished byproviding slits 9, spaced at regular intervals, adjacent th ends o e io e s ine on and. o t

f lded rip isinserted betw n h o t ns and B the op ite nd. it -s le ted ,s s f the O erlapp n en s posit oned lis m t.

C ps I. a e ap lied thro h .al ene s t 8 or se u ng t e n r th handt set erhe i o the band is v rieclhy. m ing. elected s t 3 at one end i th band into alignm nt with a s t 9 a the t e e r to give a d s red head si e. efer ly the cl p H s orme o bra s 0 t er'ia st f n ab m al. d

pro id d with l g portions 2 rranged to be. n: series throug th a ned ts san Dentin overlapping positions, as best shown in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings.

he. sweatband .2 is carried by a plura y Of e d str ps 3, each omp sin a strip. of suit: le ate ial doubled to fo m a loo Th nds I of eac str a e treated to ivethem st e th a r idit as fa xamp e by i p n i and coating. them with plastic material and gaging portions, the ends being adjustably clipped thereafter treating them to convert the'plastic to a dense hard condition. Apertures are formed in the ends I4 to receive fastening means by which he straps 3 a e secu ed to the headgear I he pre erred em d me t illus d the dr ng. the astenins eans c p i a 1 111; It having a sh n I1 sea in in the pertu provided therefor in the strip ends it. A screw [8 extends through the headgear I and into engagement with the nut l6 for securing the strip ends in substantially matching overlying relation against the edge portion of the headgear i. The screws are preferably made of .plastic or other electrical insulating material.

- tance from their ends I4.

The closed loop ends of the head straps 3 are adjustably connected together by a tie cord l9 extending through the loops for drawing the ends together to a desired degree. Preferably six of the straps 3 are provided in regularly paced relation within the crown portion .of the'headgear.

The sweatband 2 is connected to the strips preferably by passing one of the end portion of each strap 3 through slits 2| formed in the mounting portion 8. The slits 2| are formed in pairs, positioned along the band 2 at intervals corresponding to the spacing of the head straps -3. The lits 2| of each pair are substantially parallel to the edges of the sweatband, and are spaced from each other to form a trip 22 displaceable from the plane of the mounting portion 8.

The slits 2| are of a length materially greater than the width of. the end portions of the straps 3 which are passed therethrough to underlie the strip 22. This permits a sliding movement of the sweatband 2 transversely with respect to the strap 3. The band 2 is also movable longitudinally along the end portions of the straps which are threaded through the slits'2i, the-degree of such longitudinal movement being limited by stitches 23 applied through the double thickness of each strap at an appropriate dis- The transverse and longitudinal movement of the sweatband 2 relative to the head straps 3 facilitates adjustment of the band and straps to fit the head of a wearer, and afiords a wide range of adjustment without distorting either the sweatband or the head straps. Also, such movementpermit the'sweatband to hold theheadgear on the wearers head and at the same time permit a bodily shifting of the hat relative to the head under pressure or a blow applied to the headgear. Minor impacts of laterally directed blows may be absorbed in this way without being transmitted to a material extent to thewearers' head, or occasioning appreciable movement of the head under such impact. The impact of heavier blows is absorbed. to a substantial ex: tent by lateral shifting of the headgear, and'a corresponding reduction of the shock to. the wearer results. The weight of the headgear i is carried entirely by the straps 3, andthe sweatband holds the headgear in place upon the head in laterally shiftable relation thereto.

I claim: I

l. A sweatband for safety headgearjhaving a rigid crown provided with head straps for supporting the crown upon a wearers head. comprising a strip of material folded lengthwise to form a head engaging portion and a band mounting portion. said mounting portion having slits positioned at intervals therealong for. shiftably engaging the head straps and supporting the band thereon in spaced relation to the crown.

2. A sweatband for safety headgear having'a rigid crown providedwith head straps for supporting the crown upon a wearers head. comprising a strip of material folded lengthwise to form a head engaging portion and a band mou ting portion, said mounting portion having slits for slidably and shiftably engaging the head strap and supporting the band thereon in spaced relation to the crown, and having a plurality of transversely disposed slits positioned near the ends of the mounting portion of the strip, and a clip applied through matching pairs of slits adjacent opposite ends of the strip for adjustably securing said ends to each other to form a continuous band of desired head size.

3. A sweatband for safety headgear comprising a strip of material folded lengthwise to provide a 'main section, a binding section doubled upon and secured to the upper edge of the main section, and a mounting section upwardly folded alongv the lower edge of the main section, said mounting section comprising a doubled thickness of the materia1 and having slits for engaging the head straps of a headgear suspension.

4. A suspension for safety headgear having a rigid crown, comprising a plurality of head straps. means for securing each strap at one nd thereof to the lower portion of the crown, means adjustably connecting the opposite ends of the straps together within the top of the crown, a sweatband, and means slidably and shiftably connecting the sweatband tothe straps between the ends thereof and supporting the sweatband in spaced relation to the crown.

5. A suspension for safety headgear having a rigid crown, comprising a plurality of head straps, means for securing the head straps within the lower portion of the crown for supporting the same upon the head of a wearer, a sweatband, and means upon the weatband for shiftably engaging the head straps for movement along the sweatband and permitting lateral movement of the crown relative to the sweatband while holding the crown out of contact with the wearers head.

6. A suspension head strap for safety headgear having a rigid crown, and a sweatband comprising a stripof flexible material doubled to form a loop, th trip having end portions positioned in substantially matching overlying relation and being separable to engage and disengage a sweatband, means securing the doubled portions 1 together at a point above the point of engagement thereof with the sweatband, and means below the sweatband for detachably securin said ends to the lower portion of the crown in substantially matching overlying relation.

'7. In safety headgear having a rigid crown. a plurality of suspension strap each comprising astrip of flexible material doubled to form a loop having matching end portions secured together at a point spaced from their ends, means connecting the loops together within the upper portion of the crown, a sweatband shiftably engaged between the matching end portions of the respective straps below the points at which they are secured together, and means for detachably securing the ends of the straps to the lower portion of the crown at points below the sweatband.

ALFRED J. RUGGIERO. 

